What to Watch For: AO 2025

Meet the Player

What to Watch For: AO 2025

It’s Day 4 of the Australian Open, and for us tennis fans in the US, the tournament has already wrecked any New Year’s resolutions to “prioritize sleep.”

Despite the heavy eyelids, I sit a little closer to the TV for the Aussie compared to the other slams. Why? It’s the first tournament after the off-season, when players tinker with their technique, rebuild their bodies, and work on adding new skills. So I’m on the look out for those changes and their impact.

One player I’m paying attention to is Carlos Alcaraz, who made large adjustments to his serve and backhand technique. On the serve, his wrist now starts “broken”, so the racket points down, instead of forward. He’s hoping the change helps him relax more and conserve energy when he steps up to the line. His backhand take back is also noticeably lower, a la Sinner. This is likely to better time and absorb pace as the game gets faster.

On the WTA, I’m watching Coco Gauff, who hired coach Matt Daly in late 2024 for his expertise in making grip changes. Daly made an immediate impact — the American went on a tear at the end of 2024, and has now beaten Iga twice in a row, a matchup that the Pole has historically dominated.

Last but certainly not least, I’ll be glued to the screen whenever Novak Djokovic is on. The 10 time champion (woah) turned heads in December when he announced that Sir Andy of Murray was joining him as his coach.

So as you tune into the first slam of the year, here’s a few questions to be asking yourself:

• Does Alcaraz look confident in his shorter backhand swing? Can he still step in and be offensive with it, even though the swing path is now more low-to-high?

• Will Coco’s grip changes reduce her unforced error count, particularly on her forehand? Can she be slightly more offensive with it now, and not have to rely on her speed as much?

• And what will the Djokeray dynamic be like? Will we actually see Novak scream at the Brit in frustration?

The three mentioned above aren’t the only players I’m interested in. It’s likely that everyone “got in the lab” in December and made adjustments. Changes could be anything, from adding a few pounds of muscle, working on a net game, or using an entirely new racket.

I’ll be keen to see what the rest of the field has done, and find out if the changes pay off immediately, or were a gamble gone bad.

And if you were wondering who my picks are, Sabalenka & Alcaraz all the way.

AO Trivia

Until 1987, the Australian Open was played on grass. Who is the only player to win the tournament on both grass and hard court?

A. Chris Evert

B. Ivan Lendl

C. Martina Navratilova

D. Mats Wilander

Find out at the bottom!

Meet the Player

Alex de Minaur

From: Australia 🇦🇺

Best Slam Result: QF

Career High Ranking: 6

Fun Fact: Has "109" tattooed on his chest because he was the 109th player to represent the Australian Davis Cup team

Game Analysis: The Demon is a coffee grinder, and his opponents are beans. Predicated on his speed, the Aussie grinds down players to a fine powder, one long rally at a time. But he’s not just a grinder. De Minaur’s ability to keep the ball low (particular off of his backhand), makes it challenging for players to attack him. This allows him to stay rooted on the baseline, and take the offensive when players leave a ball short.

Career Prediction: De Minaur will end his career with many major QF appearances, 15+ titles, and the respect of every player on the tour. He’ll also have one of the best nicknames of all time.

News

Headlines from Around the Tours

🧑🏼‍⚖️ Sinner gets a date. But not to the prom, sorry honey. Just days before the AO, the World No. 1 found out that his doping case will be heard in the Supreme Court of tennis on April 16-17. Sinner is going up against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which seeks to ban him for at least one year. At the height of men’s tennis right now, the stakes are huge for the Italian. He’d miss all 3 remaining slams this year with just a 6 month ban. Mid-April will no doubt be a major point in the 2025 season.

🇱🇧 Habib puts Lebanon on the map. 26 year old Hady Habib made history on Sunday, becoming the first Lebanese player on the ATP to win a grand slam singles match. “This is probably one of the best days of my career, honestly. It’s such an incredible feeling to get this win — not only for myself but for Lebanon and Lebanese tennis”. Habib plays 14th seed Ugo Humbert for a spot in the third round.

😅 Daniel (me) apologizes to Gael Monfils. Dear Gael, I’m sorry for broadcasting your 0-20 record against Novak Djokovic in last week’s edition. That was out of pocket. I, along with the entire tennis world, were so happy to see you lift the trophy in Auckland on Saturday. Don’t let this go to your head, but you became the oldest tour-level champion since 1977. Wishing you a fruitful year ahead. Yours truly, Daniel.

Memes

Best comment on Reddit: “He just makes everything look awkward.”

Also, the longer I stare at this, the more ridiculously long his legs look compared to his torso.

Answer

D. Mats Wilander